September 16, 2005--Do Ask; Do Tell

At a time when the US military for obvious reasons is having difficulty fulfilling its recruitment quotas, the Roman Catholic Church is experiencing a similar problem—they are unable to recruit enough men to serve as priests.

In searching for a solution, The Defense Department is winking at its Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell policy in the hope that this will attract more gay volunteers. No reports yet on how this is working.

The Church, however, appears to be going in a different direction. In yesterday’s NY Times there was a piece, “Vatican to Check On Gay Presence,” that reports on how the Vatican is investigating seminaries to ferret out priests in training who might be homosexual.

They of course have had their problems in the US with even some Cardinals needing to be “reassigned” because of “scandals” involving priests and young boys. They are being careful, though, to distinguish between individuals with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” and those who just have “an attraction to children.” Homosexuals may be OK if, in the words of Father Donald Cozzens, a former seminary rector, those with these tendencies “live in chastity because homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”

So how are these "inspections" to be carried out? At each seminary the “visitors” will conduct confidential interviews with all faculty members and seminarians to find out if they have seen evidence of “particular friendships.” In effect, Do Ask; Do Tell.

Also, interestingly, while there, the visitors are to look to make sure that the seminaries are “free from the influences of New Age and eclectic spirituality.”

It is sounding as if life at the old seminary will be a lot less fun—not only will particular friendships no longer be permitted but they will also need to end the before-bedtime singing of Kumbaya.